Welcome to EAT THIS CITY, your tour of the best restaurants in one of our favorite cities, as chosen by a world-class chef, celebrity, or local hero.

This week, we return to Nashville, Tennessee, a city we haven’t eaten our way through since January of 2016, when Maneet Chauhan was nice enough to give us a glimpse into the local food culture. Nearly two years later, we return to the city under the guidance of Garrett Pittler, one of our favorite (and most irreverent) contributors to Chefs Tell Us. Nashville has traditionally been known as a music destination, but has recently asserted itself as a culinary force. In fact, Conde Nast Traveler said “There’s enough going on food-wise to warrant a trip solely for eating.” If anyone can point us in the direction of good eats, it’s Chef Pittler, the executive chef of Nashville City Winery.

A graduate of the Baltimore International College of Culinary Arts, and a former chef tournant for the Omni Nashville Hotel, Pittler knows flavors and he knows Nashville. He has worked with City Winery Nashville to update the restaurant’s menu to showcase the urban winery’s goods, which won Wine Spectator’s 2017 Award of Excellence. In fact, he’s done such a good job that the restaurant is a 2017 recipient of TripExpert’s Expert’s Choice Award — which takes into account reviews from newspapers, magazines, and travel guides. And, one look at the cuisine makes the reasons for the high rankings clear.